*Official* Warne vs Murali Discussion

This is THE thread. From now on all discussion on the topic must be posted in this thread. In an effort to limit the spamming of CC with the same topics over and over, we request that all such discussion be placed in here.

Any other thread opened pertaining to the topic shall be closed immediately. Any significant discussion pertaining to the topic which is posted in any other thread shall be greeted with a polite "shut up". If it persists, the thread may be closed.

This thread will be stickied initially so that all get the message.

Sreesanth said, "Next ball he was beaten and I said, 'is this the King Charles Lara? Who is this impostor, moving around nervously? I should have kept my mouth shut for the next ball - mind you, it was a length ball - Lara just pulled it over the church beyond the boundary! He is a true legend."

It will be interesting to see how long this will last, personally i don't think it will be long before spamming takes over. Hopefully this turns into more of a tribute thread, rather then one full of heated discussions.

The man, the mountain, the Mathews. The greatest all rounder since Keith Miller. (Y)

I rate Murali slightly ahead of Warne. On current form though, Warne is well ahead. But Murali has age on his side, and it will be interesting how they end up at the end of their careers. But anyone who says one is significantly better than the other must have seen very little of one or both of them.

We miss you, Fardin. :(. RIP.

Originally Posted by vic_orthdox

In the end, I think it's so utterly, incomprehensibly boring. There is so much context behind each innings of cricket that dissecting statistics into these small samples is just worthless. No-one has ever been faced with the same situation in which they come out to bat as someone else. Ever.

I rate Warne slightly ahead, because I believe he is a more dangerous bowler on pitches which do not assist spin bowling. Similar to why I rate McGrath slightly ahead of Ambrose. Ambrose was the more destructive bowler on green tops, but at times was forced into simply being economical and unpenetrative on flat pitches (which is hardly a crime!), while McGrath seems to excel in the most difficult of conditions, and still show an ability to tear teams apart when conditions go in his favour. Parallel for me to Warne and Murali, and indeed the Lara and Tendulkar debate as well.

I have always rated Murali higher (inspite of my reservations on the legality or otherwise of the doosra) but I must admit that Warne in the last year or so has been bowling like a dream. If I have to compare as of this point in time, I would vote for Warne.